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"Believing Christians should look upon themselves as such a creative minority and ... espouse once again the best of its heritage, thereby being at the service of humankind at large." --Joseph Ratzinger

The High Court in Ireland issued a ruling today allowing a hospital to shut off life support for a pregnant mom, which would claim the life of her 18-week-old unborn baby.

The mother is in her twenties, 18-weeks pregnant and doctors had decided to keep her on life support to give her unborn child a chance at life after she suffered a traumatic brain injury on November 29 after a fall. The woman’s parents wanted her to be taken off life support immediately and they took legal action to force the hospital to remove the woman from life support.

ultrasound4d38The Eighth amendment of the Irish constitution gives equal rights to the unborn and the hospital has said it will not act to destroy the life of the unborn baby unless instructed to do so by the High Court. Today, it received that ruling.

The High Court ruled that life support could be switched off even tough it heard evidence that the unborn baby is still alive and has a heartbeat.

The three-judge panel, comprising president of the High Court Mr Justice Nicholas Kearns, Ms Justice Marie Baker and Ms Justice Caroline Costello issued the 29-page decision. They ruled that continuing with life support was a ‘distressing exercise in futility’.

Ironically, the High Court issued the ruling terminating the unborn baby’s life by saying it was in the best interest of the child.

“The court is satisfied, in the circumstances of this case, that in the best interest of the unborn child, it should authorise at the discretion of the medical team the withdrawal of ongoing somatic support being provided in this tragic and unfortunate case,” it wrote. “‘It will accordingly make a declaration and order to that effect.”